1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a runner support for a skate boot, and more particularly to a boot and molded plastic support for an ice skate blade.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Since the introduction of the molded plastic skate blade support, the majority of ice skates being sold today includes such blade supports. Previously, skate blade supports were manufactured out of sheet metal, and the process required skilled labour and considerable time. With molding techniques, the metal blade is merely placed in a mold and the plastic material is injected into the mold, thus anchored to the blade. In some cases, however, the blade is made removable from the molded support. The manner of fixing the blade and blade support to the boot has, however, not changed. Traditionally, a leather or nylon fabric skate boot is formed on a last, a sole is applied, and then the blade support is fixed to the sole by riveting. This latter step is time consuming.
The design of the plastic skate blade support is such as to simulate the metal supports, particularly with respect to the fore and aft platforms adapted to be riveted to the sole and heel portions of the full sole of the finished boot.
In addition to the process of attachment of the blade support to the sole of the boot being time consuming, it has been found that the riveted skate support to the sole of the boot does not transmit completely the driving force applied through the boot by the skater to the blade. Since the support is attached to the sole at spaced-apart riveting points, some of the driving energy is absorbed in the slight separation of the blade support platforms from the sole, either on one side or the other, due to the torsional dimension of the driving forces being transmitted.